| ================= Rag Cutters ================= o Scissors - use the best you can afford. The padded ones with a spring in them are nice. o Olfa cutters - a circular cutting blade that rolls and cuts like a pizza cutter. Great for loping off seams of old clothing and cutting just about all rags. Must be used with a cutting board. I bought a large plastic mat for under an office chair [the cheapest I could find and fairly smooth] and have used it for at least ten years. The blades last just as long. Fits on my ping pong table and I can cut through many layers of folded cloth too. o Motorized cutter - cuts like the Olfa, but has a small motor housed in the handle. Wonderful tool. Cost about $200-$300. Saved me from carpel tunnel problems. Will cut throught 16 layers of folded cloth. o Frasier cutter - works great on small pieces of recycled fabric and can be used anywhere, like in front of the evening news or the football game. There are several brands of all these products, in my experience most work just fine. o Tearing Rags - only outdoors. Very dusty job. Paula Pfaff ================ One of the best tips I've gotten from the Rugtalk list is the advice to purchase a plastic chair mat to use with my rotary cutter, rather than an expensive self-healing mat. (I'm talking about the clear plastic mat that goes under roller chairs in offices.) I purchased the largest plastic mat I could find at an office supply store and have been happily cutting on it for two years now. It was a fraction of the cost of the rotary cutter mats and has worked just fine. If you need a grid and measurements, they could easily be added with a permanent marker. The person on the list who gave this advice (Paula Pfaff, I think???) said she had been using hers for 20 years or so. Now, if I can learn to sharpen my dull or knicked rotary cutter blades, I'll be really happy! Donna in Western PA ------------------------ I bought the Gemsy RXM-100 with a four inch blade, for economy and if you aren't cutting tall stacks of material, the smallest the GemsyRXM1-1 for $79 will still cut through several layers of heavy fabric, such as denim jeans with seams included, like nothing. It has a built in sharpener and doesn't need a mat to use. To me, it seems like a great buy. (I'm not affiliated with the seller, but indeed a very happy customer). I called the 800 number listed on this website and talked with a very helpful gentleman there. Hope this helps. http://www.carusew.com/item/cutmach.html Dana, in northern California -------------- I would like to comment on the Gemsy RXM 100 - 4" cutting machine. We purchased one, on Dana's recommendation, about a month ago. It is fabulous for cutting through jeans! I cut about 30 pair of jeans into strips in one afternoon. I found it to be fun and much safer than I had anticipated. I am quite pleased with the way it works for the heavy fabrics. I have not yet figured out how to make it work for lighter fabrics or those with odd shapes, such as shirts or children's clothing. I think a smaller electric cutter may be needed for those... Margery in IL --------------- I purchased the smaller rotary cutters on Dana's recommendation. It works great cuts through enough layers for me. Cuts up a folded sheet in a matter of minutes. Also cuts up jeans through the seams like they aren't there. Just make sure you don't cut a very narrow strip under 1/4" has tendency to wind on around the blade assembly. Sandy in central Michigan -------------- |
 |
 |
| (One of the best tips I've gotten from the Rugtalk list....) |